In June of 2017, I packed up boxes of instructional materials for my high school history, government and economics courses. As I used a hand cart to roll out thirty-three years of curriculum. I wondered about the rookie teachers who would take my classroom: would they have to recreate the wheel as so many new teachers do? At home in retirement I foraged through my boxes, posting lessons I designed that were effective with my students. The result is A Veteran Teacher’s Lessons.
In this website you won’t find grand theories or long lesson plans linked to standards. You will discover practical handouts for reading and writing social studies activities and ones for sparking student discussion, too. I’ve included my approach to designing assessments and yearlong planning and units. In addition, I’ve shared my favorite social science projects with creative ways to use photos and film, murals and student art, virtual reality(VR) and web resources with your students.
The menu at the top of each page will take you to any of the instructional methods highlighted in the website. The lesson handouts I've designed for my students reside at the bottom of these pages, with links to citations and resources. In addition, you can find these same lessons indexed by social science course, including: World Studies, US History, Economics and Government.
The lessons are free, a gift from a grizzled veteran to those of you who are in the trenches. Use or adapt the lessons for your students and then pass them on. Teaching should be a team sport. Whether you’re an experienced teacher or new to the profession, I hope these lessons spark an idea for your classroom.
Sincerely,
Dave Forrest
daveforrest24@gmail.com
http://daveforrest.net/veteranlessons